With “HYPERFRUIT”, choreographer and dancer Ludvig Daae and film maker Joanna Nordahl research how the internet, and how we communicate online could be used as a structure for a dance performance. What happens when our way of experiencing information on the internet is used as dramaturgy for a performance? When conventional connections and causalities such as “beginning, middle, end” or “1, 2, 3” are exchangeable to for example “1, 2, dog, Beyoncé”?

Joanna and Ludvig are both freelancing artists, meaning a life style where they are constantly traveling. Thus most of their relationships take place online, through their computers. This is something that they are used to and appreciate, as children of their time. However, they have come to a crucial realization – it is unexpectedly complicated to meet the demands they have on their love relationships in this digital world. Both Ludvig and Joanna have a lot of experience with long distance relationships, where the internet, rather than facilitating the communication, becomes a necessary evil. The demands and expectations on the relationship become unreasonable and complex, while at the same time the idea about the relationship and the image of the person on the other side of the screen is glorified.

In “HYPERFRUIT” Joanna and Ludvig will continue the research from their previous performance, “MM”; what is the difference between communicating physically compared to digitally, measured in emotional impact. All online communication means a distance, a filter if you like. The most obvious reason being the dependency of a physical tool or machine. The communication may be “live”, but then always filtered through something non-organic. Joanna and Ludvig will be live on stage, live on film and recorded on film. These different versions of them all communicate with each other and the audience, expanding the physical and spatial limitations. “HYPERFRUIT” never shows the internet – “HYPERFRUIT” is the internet as a world or essence. An emotional longing for closeness and intimacy is present throughout the performance, and the communicative obstructions challenge the relationship between both Joanna and Ludvig, and between them and the audience.

Ludvig Daae is a Norwegian dancer and choreographer working mostly in Stockholm and Brussels. He moved to Sweden at the age of 16 to attend the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm. After one year at the classical curriculum, he found that contemporary dance was the right path for him, and so after graduating from the ballet school, he moved to Brussels to learn more at another school – P.A.R.T.S. After completing the training cycle at P.A.R.T.S. in 2008, Ludvig has worked with Deborah Hay (USA), Company Thor (BE), Mårten Spångberg (SE) among others, when not creating his own work.

When creating his own work, Ludvig always has an interest in entertainment and popular culture. He feels that dance art can benefit from having a theoretical platform to rest on and develop from, without the performance being weighted by theoretical language. Ludvig’s own works have been presented at Oslo Opera House (NO), MDT (SE), Vooruit (BE), Dansens Hus (NO), Mousonturm (DE), The Place (GB), Dansens Hus (SE), Moderna Museet (SE), Zodiak (FI), Rencontres chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis (FR), GUIdance (PT), Gessnerallee (CH) among others.

Joanna Nordahl is a Swedish/Brazilian film director and visual artist based in Stockholm yet constantly on the move. She comes from a background in performing arts and stage productions, thus falling in love with dance and choreography at an early age. Her directing work is characterised by a passion for visualising the individual story, political themes or subtexts and exploring musicality and choreography through film. In 2014 she initiated and directed the documentary series “One Wish” for Swedish National Television – an 8 episode show intimately following three young dancers during one year as they reach for their dreams in a very tough dance industry. Joanna is visually fascinated by the combination of cinematic epicness / a more is more aesthetic and exploring the most simple human behaviors and situations. Capturing youth culture and emotional complexity in the modern world is something she wants to further explore.

Joanna has presented her film work at various platforms and festivals, including San Fransisco International Dance Film Festival, Gothenburg Int. Film Festival, Music DOC New York, Tempo Documentary Festival, Lunds Konsthall, while presenting videos and visual content for musical artists like Say Lou Lou, Silvana Imam, Nonono, Adrian Lux and Lune.

In ”HYPERFRUIT”, Nordahl will not only work behind the camera and conceptually, but also coming back to the stage physically, making ”HYPERFRUIT” Daaes and Nordahls first duet as performers.